Wiki Project (20%) The first, and ongoing, project in CHL137 this semester asks you to develop a series of wiki entries that will 1) draw texts we have read this semester, and outside research as you deem necessary; and 2) contribute to a growing collection of articles, summaries, and short essays concerned with allusion in the Harry Potter series. The project is set up so that as we work through various myths, legends, and topics this semester you will develop related wiki entries. The project is split into three distinct but related parts. The first part will help establish the wiki pages by assigning you to a specific topic where you, and the other people assigned to this topic, will be responsible for getting the topic page started (creating the introduction and adding the initial content). The second part of the project is focused upon revising, extending, and reorganizing existing wiki entries on all the topic pages in addition to developing “original” content. The third part of the project will have you reflecting on your process, your contributions, and the outcomes of this project. You may work in groups to coordinate your efforts (particularly during the first stage of the project), but you are under no obligation to do so. Because wikis are inherently collaborative writing spaces, your coordination can simply manifest within the wiki space rather than in class. You will need to come up with a plan for making progress on this work. That is, over the next three weeks, you should be deliberate about structuring your time on various tasks--research, drafting, revising, editing, and so on (this will be addressed as part of a discussion post in the following weeks). To be successful with this project, you will engage in these activities frequently (at least every few days), and you should document your efforts so that you can refer concretely in the reflective essay. Logistics Logging In
You can access the wiki at CHL137Sample.wikispaces.com. You must log in to edit the wiki. Your username is the same as your myemich alias (alias@emich.edu). We will go over the logging in process in detail during the first week of classes. Annotating Changes
As you make changes to the wiki, include with your changes comments explaining what you changed and why. That is, document your changes so that others are aware of the work you have done. This running record will be invaluable to you later in the project, when you write your reflective statement. The annotations will provide you with a detailed record for your reflection. Multiple Simultaneous Edits Conflict
If multiple users are editing a wiki at the same time, certain changes may come into conflict. When this happens, the users will be notified of the conflict. This will only happen when two or more users are simultaneously trying to modify an element on a page. Point of Emphasis: Synchrony and Roles
Your success with this project depends greatly on two conditions: Synchrony: You must immerse yourself in the processes of wiki writing and establish, to the extent possible, synchrony among other wiki users. That is, you must pace your work, log into the wiki on a regular basis, and explicitly coordinate your processes with others. This is not a project you can leave until the final weeks of the semester. This is intended to be an ongoing project that requires your involvement from the very beginning. Roles: You must occupy multiple roles, stepping in and out of these roles in the spirit of exploring the work involved and the full dimensions of wiki writing. You will, at times, work as an author, as a researcher, as a coder/designer, and as an editor. Some of these roles might seem a more natural fit to you than others. But rather than hastily identifying with roles you already know how to do well, the project is set up to reward you for trying out all variety of roles. Topics There will be nine topics, each starting with a maximum of four people for the first part of the project: 1. Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth (Hero Cycle) 2. Homer The Odyssey 3. Ovid Metamorphosis 4. Perseus 5. Hercules 6. Heroines in Traditional and Children’s Literature 7. Villains in Traditional and Children’s Literature 8. Animal Transformations in Traditional and Children’s Literature 9. Arthurian Legends Reflective Essay
You will write a 1000-word reflective essay on your process and outcomes in this project. The essay should be typed and double-spaced, adhering to MLA guidelines for formatting and, where applicable, citation. The most important aspects of the essay are 1) that it provide an account of your individual process/product, 2) that it explicitly address the matter of what is stylistically available to wiki writers, and 3) that you include a clear statement about how the work should be graded. Upload the essay as a .doc file to the appropriate dropbox in EMU Online no later than the start of class on TBA So, the focal questions are
Describe as concretely as possible the work you did? Which entries did you develop? Why? How many edits did you make? Did you edit/revise other people's writing?
How has the content of the wiki and/or your process of contribution aided in your learning of the material (Harry Potter and allusions) this semester?
What grade do you deserve for this work? Why?
Here are a few additional issues your reflective piece might address:
How did you decide to approach the task? In hindsight, how did this decision work out?
How did you determine what to work on? What roles did you assume and to what degree? Did the delegation of specific roles aid you in carrying out the project? How so?
Was the project a success in your view? How so?
How many edits did you make? Did you edit/revise other people's writing?
Which roles did you find suited you best? Which roles did not? Why?
Assessment Half of Project Two will be self-assessed. That is, your reflective statement will include a section at the end that evaluates your work throughout the project. If your reflective statement is detailed, thorough, and persuasive, it is likely that I will simply agree with you and assign as my own evaluation the same grade you applied. I am looking for the following qualities in your work: * Evidence of a primary role in the authoring of a wiki entry (authoring: 400 words or more)
Evidence of research, either in careful work with the Harry Potter series or in collecting and presenting outside sources, to include formal citations and links (research; provides links and citations)
Evidence of the ways you occupied the roles listed above (roles)
Evidence of proofreading (low-order editing)
Evidence of care with formatting wiki text (coding/design)
Frequency of logins indicative of regular contributions in the form of writing and editing (frequency)
I will be using the following rubric to assess this project. It may help to address this rubric in the structure of your reflection essay.
Wiki Project Group___
Student:
Not Applied: The student did not apply this criterion in the project
Needs Improvement: The student has minimally applied the criterion in the project
Meets Expectations: The student has applied the criterion to a satisfactory degree
Exemplary: The student has applied the criterion with distinction
The first, and ongoing, project in CHL137 this semester asks you to develop a series of wiki entries that will 1) draw texts we have read this semester, and outside research as you deem necessary; and 2) contribute to a growing collection of articles, summaries, and short essays concerned with allusion in the Harry Potter series. The project is set up so that as we work through various myths, legends, and topics this semester you will develop related wiki entries. The project is split into three distinct but related parts. The first part will help establish the wiki pages by assigning you to a specific topic where you, and the other people assigned to this topic, will be responsible for getting the topic page started (creating the introduction and adding the initial content). The second part of the project is focused upon revising, extending, and reorganizing existing wiki entries on all the topic pages in addition to developing “original” content. The third part of the project will have you reflecting on your process, your contributions, and the outcomes of this project.
You may work in groups to coordinate your efforts (particularly during the first stage of the project), but you are under no obligation to do so. Because wikis are inherently collaborative writing spaces, your coordination can simply manifest within the wiki space rather than in class. You will need to come up with a plan for making progress on this work. That is, over the next three weeks, you should be deliberate about structuring your time on various tasks--research, drafting, revising, editing, and so on (this will be addressed as part of a discussion post in the following weeks). To be successful with this project, you will engage in these activities frequently (at least every few days), and you should document your efforts so that you can refer concretely in the reflective essay.
Logistics
Logging In
You can access the wiki at CHL137Sample.wikispaces.com. You must log in to edit the wiki. Your username is the same as your myemich alias (alias@emich.edu). We will go over the logging in process in detail during the first week of classes.
Annotating Changes
As you make changes to the wiki, include with your changes comments explaining what you changed and why. That is, document your changes so that others are aware of the work you have done. This running record will be invaluable to you later in the project, when you write your reflective statement. The annotations will provide you with a detailed record for your reflection.
Multiple Simultaneous Edits Conflict
If multiple users are editing a wiki at the same time, certain changes may come into conflict. When this happens, the users will be notified of the conflict. This will only happen when two or more users are simultaneously trying to modify an element on a page.
Point of Emphasis: Synchrony and Roles
Your success with this project depends greatly on two conditions:
Synchrony: You must immerse yourself in the processes of wiki writing and establish, to the extent possible, synchrony among other wiki users. That is, you must pace your work, log into the wiki on a regular basis, and explicitly coordinate your processes with others. This is not a project you can leave until the final weeks of the semester. This is intended to be an ongoing project that requires your involvement from the very beginning.
Roles: You must occupy multiple roles, stepping in and out of these roles in the spirit of exploring the work involved and the full dimensions of wiki writing. You will, at times, work as an author, as a researcher, as a coder/designer, and as an editor. Some of these roles might seem a more natural fit to you than others. But rather than hastily identifying with roles you already know how to do well, the project is set up to reward you for trying out all variety of roles.
Topics
There will be nine topics, each starting with a maximum of four people for the first part of the project:
1. Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth (Hero Cycle)
2. Homer The Odyssey
3. Ovid Metamorphosis
4. Perseus
5. Hercules
6. Heroines in Traditional and Children’s Literature
7. Villains in Traditional and Children’s Literature
8. Animal Transformations in Traditional and Children’s Literature
9. Arthurian Legends
Reflective Essay
You will write a 1000-word reflective essay on your process and outcomes in this project. The essay should be typed and double-spaced, adhering to MLA guidelines for formatting and, where applicable, citation. The most important aspects of the essay are 1) that it provide an account of your individual process/product, 2) that it explicitly address the matter of what is stylistically available to wiki writers, and 3) that you include a clear statement about how the work should be graded. Upload the essay as a .doc file to the appropriate dropbox in EMU Online no later than the start of class on TBA
So, the focal questions are
- Describe as concretely as possible the work you did? Which entries did you develop? Why? How many edits did you make? Did you edit/revise other people's writing?
- How has the content of the wiki and/or your process of contribution aided in your learning of the material (Harry Potter and allusions) this semester?
- What grade do you deserve for this work? Why?
Here are a few additional issues your reflective piece might address:Assessment
Half of Project Two will be self-assessed. That is, your reflective statement will include a section at the end that evaluates your work throughout the project. If your reflective statement is detailed, thorough, and persuasive, it is likely that I will simply agree with you and assign as my own evaluation the same grade you applied. I am looking for the following qualities in your work:
* Evidence of a primary role in the authoring of a wiki entry (authoring: 400 words or more)
I will be using the following rubric to assess this project. It may help to address this rubric in the structure of your reflection essay.